


Coping Mechanisms

by Laughing_Fox



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Arguing, Blood and Injury, Fist Fights, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-05
Updated: 2017-01-05
Packaged: 2018-09-15 03:09:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9216113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laughing_Fox/pseuds/Laughing_Fox
Summary: Mina's death hits Annie more than she let on.Annie hits Bertholdt to cope.





	

_‘Bertholdt?’_

Startled by the sheer softness of her tone, he turned, green eyes clashing with blue as Annie stopped before him, arms crossed over her chest and a distraught expression precariously hidden beneath a mask of apathy.

‘I have a favour to ask,’

He remained silent, eyebrows furrowing in curiosity.  
Annie never came to him for help.  
So why was she here now?

Taking his lack of a response as permission to continue, she swallowed her pride and met his eyes, a gentle sigh ghosting over her lips.

‘It’s about the upcoming Trost mission,’ she all but whispered, turning her head away from the tall boy.

‘I want you to promise me,’ she began, though he was quick to cut her off, ‘I can’t promise you anything, Annie, and you know that.’

‘Bertholdt, _please_!’

‘Annie, it doesn’t matter how important they are to you, I can’t guarantee their survival. I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do, not from my post, there’s just no way.’

‘What do you want me to do? Beg? I’ll do it- Bertholdt, please, _just hear me out_!’ Annie insisted, taking several steps forward and forcing Bertholdt to reel back.

‘No, Annie. No amount of begging or pleading will help. You know this, so why are you being so insistent? There’s no one here I’ve seen you get close to-‘

_‘Mina.’_

_‘What?’_

‘It’s Mina, Bertl _please_ , just keep Mina alive, she’s all I have.’ The use of his nickname made him feel so much worse about his denial.  
She was aiming to make it personal.

And he’d be damned if he said it wasn’t working.

‘I can’t promise you, but I can try,’ He began, rubbing at his temples with a sigh, his eyes fluttering closed.

‘That’s not good enough. I need you to promise,’ Annie’s thin fingers wrapped tightly around Bertholdt’s wrist, pulling his arm down to his side and making him meet her eyes once more, sensing a new sense of exhaustion lurking behind his dark green irises.

‘Our mission is to destroy all of humanity. We weren’t even supposed to make friends outside the three of us, and now you want me to promise to keep one of them _alive?!_ ’

‘…Reiner’s made a lot more accomplices than you or I, Bert, what’s stopping you from going off at him, huh? You didn’t even know about Mina until now, but you sure as hell know about Connie, Marco, Jean, Eren… Christa,’ the mention of the angelic blonde was a low-blow, a shot that even Annie knew was pushing too far, but that didn’t stop her from using it.

‘Reiner isn’t exactly in the right frame of mind _, if you hadn’t noticed_ ,’ Bertholdt snapped, ripping his wrist free of her grasp and hugging it to his chest, his once sympathetic gaze hardening to a glare that could rival even hers.

‘Then shouldn’t that give you even more of a reason to go and tell him off?’ Another step forward, another skitter back.

‘No. Why? Because Reiner’s never come to me asking me to risk both my life and the success of the mission for him, _that’s why_!’ He shouted, soft voice sounding almost out-of-place at such a high volume.

But then Annie pushed him one step further.

‘ _Reiner hasn’t come to you for anything in a long time, Bertholdt, not with Christa arou_ -‘

She was expecting anger. Yelling, maybe even a threat.

What she wasn’t expecting was to end up on her back with a broken jaw, blood dripping from her nose and from a wide cut in her upper lip.

‘Don’t you dare,’ Came a threatening growl from above her. She knew she was pushing him, but she wasn’t expecting him to lash out so aggressively.

Yet the moment after Bertholdt’s knuckles broke contact with Annie’s cheek, the bright red mark he'd left there started to fade. Thin wisps of white smoke rose from the skin as Annie’s regenerative powers kicked in. In a few moments, she knew that her cheek would look perfectly fine.

That didn't mean that the punch hadn't hurt though. Annie pressed her hand against the cheek, trying to dull the stinging pain. The skin beneath her fingers felt uncomfortably warm as it healed.

‘I’m sorry-‘

‘I promise-‘

Both voice merged into one as the two spoke up, but each heard the other’s words.

‘Really?’ Came a hushed whisper from Annie as she pushed herself to her feet, the cool autumn air playing with her hair in the breeze.

‘I’ll do what I can, I promise.’

It was a stupid and unfulfillable promise, and they both knew it.

But it gave Annie just that sliver of hope that she so desperately needed.

So despite the look of dread in Bertholdt’s eyes and the stinging in her jaw, she whispered,

‘Thank you.’


End file.
